Proposed Parameter Name Changes
These proposed changes to the names of some of the parameters for the Science Tools were compiled by Dave Davis. The topic was discussed in a general way at the GSSC-LAT Science Tools Meeting at SLAC, April 2007. Dave's motivation is to make the parameter names consistent among the tools - a specific request of the GLAST Users Committee - and to the extent reasonable also consistent with the conventions (sometimes fairly specific) for parameter names in tools for other missions that HEASARC supports. We expect to stay consistent with this new scheme for any new tools, and do not anticipate renaming parameters again.
The tables below are by tool name. For each tool, each parameter is listed, except for the standard hidden parameters chatter, clobber, debug, gui, and mode, which will not be changed. For meanings of the parameters, please set the SciTools Reference pages in the Science Tools section of the User Workbook. Note that the proposed changes will not change the functionality of the tools.
Please add comments in the Comments column.
gtlikelihood
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
rspfunc |
irfs |
|
use_energy_dispersion |
edisp |
|
exposure_cube_file |
expcube |
livetimecube (or ltcube) would be less ambiguous |
source_model_file |
srcmdl |
srcmodel is short enough. Or insrcmodel |
source_model_output_file |
sfile |
Not clear. I suggest outsrcmodel |
flux_style_model_file |
fluxmdl |
fluxmodel, or outfluxmodel |
check_fit |
|
|
statistic |
|
|
optimizer |
|
|
fit_tolerance |
ftol |
|
find_Ts_mins |
Tsmin |
Not clear, and better not have uppercase. I suggest tsreopt |
write_output_files |
save |
|
query_for_refit |
refit |
Does not make sense in scripts anyway |
evfile |
|
|
evtable |
|
|
scfile |
|
|
sctable |
|
|
exposure_map_file |
expmap |
|
plot |
|
|
counts_map_file |
cmap |
I prefer cntmap, or cntcube |
binned_exposure_map |
bexpmap |
|
apply_psf_corrections |
psfcorr |
|
gtdiffresp
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
evfile |
|
|
evtable |
|
|
scfile |
|
|
sctable |
|
|
source_model_file |
srcmdl |
|
rspfunc |
irfs |
|
use_energy_dispersion |
edisp |
|
gtbackfile
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
pha_file |
phafile |
|
outfile |
|
|
scfile |
|
|
sctable |
|
|
source_model_file |
srcmdl |
|
exposure_cube_file |
expcube |
|
exposure_map_file |
expmap |
|
rspfunc |
irfs |
|
gtfindsrc
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
evfile |
|
|
evtable |
|
|
scfile |
|
|
sctable |
|
|
outfile |
|
|
rspfunc |
|
|
exposure_cube_file |
expcube |
|
exposure_map_file |
expmap |
|
source_model_file |
srcmdl |
|
target_source |
tgsrc |
target is simpler |
use_lb |
coordsys |
should match gtbin |
lon0 |
ra |
|
lat0 |
dec |
|
optimizer |
|
|
fit_tolerance |
ftol |
|
reoptimize |
iterate |
Not clear. reoptimize is fine, reopt is also OK. |
amoeba_tolerance |
atol |
|
gtlivetimecube
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
evfile |
|
|
evtable |
|
|
scfile |
|
|
sctable |
|
|
outfile |
|
livetimecube (or ltcube) as in gtlikelihood |
cos_theta_step |
dcostheta |
should this be same as gtrspgen's tbinsz? |
pixel_size |
binsz |
binsize is short enough |
gtmodelmap
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
srcmaps |
|
|
source_model_file |
srcmdl |
|
outfile |
|
|
rspfunc |
irfs |
|
expcube |
|
|
binned_exposure_map |
expmap |
bexpmap |
perform_convolution |
convl |
convol is short enough |
gtobssim
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
xml_source_file |
infile |
|
source_list |
srclist |
|
scfile |
|
|
sctable |
|
|
outfile_prefix |
evroot |
|
evtable |
|
|
simulation_time |
simtime |
|
livetime |
|
|
start_time |
tstart |
|
use_as_numevents |
nevents |
|
max_simulation_time |
maxtime |
|
start_date |
startdate |
|
srcid_offset |
dsrcid |
|
use_acceptance_cone |
use_ac |
|
ra |
|
|
dec |
|
|
radius |
|
|
emin |
|
|
emax |
|
|
apply_edisp |
edisp |
|
rspfunc |
irfs |
|
max_numrows |
nrows |
|
random_seed |
seed |
|
gtorbsim
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
outfile |
|
|
sctable |
|
|
pointing_strategy |
obsmode |
|
rocking_angle |
rangle |
|
simulation_time |
stime |
|
livetime_frac |
ltfrac |
|
start_time |
tstart |
|
max_numrows |
nrows |
|
gtpsf
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
exposure_cube_file |
expcube |
|
outfile |
|
|
outtable |
|
|
rspfunc |
irfs |
|
ra |
|
|
dec |
|
|
emin |
|
|
emax |
|
|
numenergies |
nenergies |
|
thetamax |
|
|
numthetas |
ntheta |
|
gtsrcmaps
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
scfile |
|
|
sctable |
|
|
exposure_cube_file |
expcube |
|
counts_map_file |
expmap |
cntmap or cntcube, as in gtlikelihood |
source_model_file |
srcmdl |
|
binned_exposure_map |
bexpmap |
|
outfile |
|
|
rspfunc |
irfs |
|
perform_convolution |
convl |
|
compute_point_sources |
ptsrc |
|
apply_psf_corrections |
psfcorr |
|
pixel_size |
binsz |
|
gttsmap
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
evfile |
|
|
evtable |
|
|
scfile |
|
|
sctable |
|
|
exposure_map_file |
expmap |
|
exposure_cube_file |
expcube |
|
source_model_file |
srcmdl |
|
outfile |
|
|
rspfunc |
irfs |
|
optimizer |
|
|
fit_tolerance |
ftol |
|
ra_min |
|
|
dec_min |
|
|
nra |
|
|
dec_min |
|
|
dec_max |
|
|
ndec |
|
|
use_lb |
coordsys |
should match gtbin |
pixel_size |
binsz |
|
gtrspgen
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
respalg |
|
|
specfile |
|
|
scfile |
|
|
outfile |
|
|
resptype |
irfs |
|
sctable |
|
|
resptpl |
|
|
time |
|
|
thetacut |
|
|
thetabinsize |
tbinsz |
should this be same as gtlivetimecube's dcostheta? |
energybinalg |
ebinalg |
|
energyfield |
efield |
|
emin |
|
|
emax |
|
|
enumbins |
|
|
deltaenergy |
denergy |
|
energybinfile |
ebinfile |
|
gtbin
Current Name |
Proposed Name |
Comments |
|---|---|---|
pixscale |
binsz |
|
evfile |
|
|
scfile |
|
|
outfile |
|
Hard to make more specific, could be a |
algorithm |
|
|
energybinalg |
ebinalg |
|
emin |
|
|
emax |
|
|
enumbins |
|
|
deltaenergy |
idenergy |
|
energybinfile |
ebinfile |
|
timebinalg |
|
|
tstart |
|
|
tstop |
|
|
deltatime |
|
|
timebinfile |
tbinfile |
|
snratio |
|
|
lcemin |
|
|
lcemax |
|
|
numxpix |
nxpix |
|
numypix |
nypix |
|
pixscale |
|
|
coordsys |
|
|
xref |
|
|
yref |
|
|
axisrot |
|
|
rafield |
|
|
decfield |
|
|
proj |
|
|
evtable |
|
|
sctable |
|
|
energyfield |
efield |
|
timefield |
|
|
2 Comments
Jean Ballet
I have a general comment. It is not very explicit to call a task's output "outfile". In the XMM SAS we decided to use a common name for the same object, but add the prefix "in" when it is an input and "out" when it is an output. This results in longer parameter names. I would say that we can dispense with the "in", but keep the "out". In that way, gtlivetimecube would take outltcube=ltfile and gtlikelihood would take ltcube=ltfile.
Unknown User (ddavis)
I don't quite understanc the "not clear" . I'd argue that is the purpose of the prompt field in the parameter file not the parameter name should be the place to add clarity. Otherwise we are right back to the long parameter names we were asked to avoid.